Hosting Saturday Night Live [1] is one of those milestones that proves you've really made it. So who's hosted SNL the most times? Unsurprisingly, many of the most frequent hosts [2] are comedians themselves — some of whom actually were cast members on the sketch comedy series before branching out into their own individual careers. SNL has their "Five Timers Club," filled with hosts who have appeared at least — you guessed it — five times, but the most long-running hosts have all gone beyond that. Keep reading to see which celebs have hosted SNL the most, and catch up on some of their funniest and most famous sketches [3]!
Tina Fey: 6 Hosting Appearances
Fey was a cast member and writer on SNL from 1997 to 2006, but she returned several times after to host the show for a total of 6 hosting appearances so far. Her Sarah Palin impression during the 2008 election was, probably, her most famous skit.
Elliott Gould: 6 Hosting Appearances
Comedy actor Gould was never part of the show's main cast, but he appeared in plenty of the show's enduring sketches from the 1980s in particular. He appeared as a network executive in a Star Trek parody and as a "Killer Bee," among others.
Drew Barrymore: 6 Hosting Appearances
Barrymore became the youngest host ever at age 7, when she hosted a 1982 episode fresh off her E.T. success. She's since returned five times and has played everything from a whiny orphan to a guest of "the Lovahs."
Danny DeVito: 6 Hosting Appearances
DeVito's six appearances have been packed with nods to his acting career, as well as some quirky celebrity impressions (most famously as Mikhail Gorbachev). In a bit of fun trivia, he hosted the last SNL episode of 1999, making him the last host of the 20th century.
Christopher Walken: 7 Hosting Appearances
During his 7 hosting gigs on SNL, Walken parodied some of his own roles, but his original characters were even more memorable. He participated in one of the running "Lovahs" sketches, and coined the phrase "I gotta have more cowbell!" as a wacky music producer in the famous Behind the Music spoof.
Chevy Chase: 8 Hosting Appearances
Chase's SNL career began as the original anchor for the "Weekend Update," but he returned even after leaving the show's full-time cast. His later guest appearances included a Caddyshack skit co-starring Bill Murray [4], an appearance as "The Land Shark," and several reunion specials.
Tom Hanks: 9 Hosting Appearances
Hanks has hosted the show nine times over nearly 30 years. His earlier appearances included such characters as "Mr. Short Term Memory," while later hosting gigs poked fun at some of his own roles, including Captain "Sully."
Buck Henry: 10 Hosting Appearances
Henry was the most frequent host during SNL's first five years, with all ten of his hosting stints happening over that five year span. His famous recurring characters included a mean stunt coordinator named Howard and Mr. Dantley, the "customer" in John Belushi's "Samurai Futaba" sketches.
John Goodman: 13 Hosting Appearances
Goodman is a classic SNL fave who's also appeared more recently. He's done impressions of celebrities (including, famously, Robert de Niro [5]) as well as original characters.
Steve Martin: 15 Hosting Appearances
Martin's 15 appearances as the host of SNL have included some iconic sketches. His classic appearances in the 1970s — often opposite fellow comedy legend Bill Murray [6] — included famous moments such as his "King Tut" musical sketch, a parrot cracker bit, and the "Coneheads" game show sketch.
Alec Baldwin: 17 Times Hosting
Baldwin is the undisputed champion when it comes to hosting SNL, with a whopping 17 appearances between 1990 and 2017 so far. While his most recent skits have been focussed on his impression of Donald Trump [7], he had plenty of memorable skits, including the mildly NSFW "Schweddy Balls."